Residents encouraged to sign up to receive free emergency facility notifications and non-emergency information
Dover, DE – Today, the Delaware Department of Correction announced that it has launched an enhanced community notification system to strengthen information-sharing with residents statewide. The new community notification system is a free service that empowers residents to sign up to receive facility emergency alerts and non-emergency informational messages from the Department of Correction (DOC) by text, phone, and e-mail.
“The Department of Correction community notification system gives us another tool to push real-time notifications to Delawareans,” said Department of Correction Commissioner Terra Taylor. “We are delivering on our commitment to local residents, and in particular to individuals who live and work near correctional facilities, to lean into technology and increase information-sharing with them. This new notification system adds onto our existing communication channels to provide information needed to keep informed, stay alert, and stay safe.”
Community members can register to receive alerts from specific Department of Correction facilities or to receive general Department-wide news and information. Facility alerts will be used to provide notices in the event of an unauthorized walkaway from a particular community corrections facility, impacts from adverse weather conditions to that facility’s scheduled on-site visitation, disruptions to phone or tablet communications, and other timely notices. Community members can register to receive notices from as few, or as many, facilities as they choose. Community members who register to receive DOC News and Information will receive information about Department-wide programs and initiatives. Please note: An inmate escape from a state prison facility would trigger an enhanced multi-agency law enforcement response and expanded public outreach and notifications in addition to this community notification system and other existing DOC notification methods, to include reverse 911 system messages.
The text, phone, and e-mail alerts offered through DOC’s new community notification system are an addition to existing outreach methods that include social media posts, news releases, the DOC website, and other localized notifications.
Starting February 11, the DOC is opening public registration to the new community notification system. The Department will begin using the system to issue community notifications, as needed, starting March 1, 2026.
Community members can register by text or online to receive community notifications:
BY TEXT:
Sign up to receive text notifications by texting one of the following facility keywords to 302-279-2847.
Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution – BWCI
Community Corrections Treatment Center – CCTC
Hazel D. Plant Women’s Treatment Facility – HDP
Howard R. Young Correctional Institution – HRYCI
James T. Vaughn Correctional Center – JTVCC
Sussex Community Corrections Center – SCCC
Sussex Correctional Institution – SCI
Department of Correction News & Information – DOCNEWS
Community members should send individual sign-up texts for each facility location. After texting BWCI, CCTC, HDP, HRYCI, JTVCC, SCCC, SCI or DOCNEWS to 302-279-2847, users will receive a verification with instructions for LEAVE/STOP/HELP commands. DOC community notification text alerts are provided as a free service, but users’ carrier message and data rates may apply.
ONLINE:
Register online at https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=DEDOC to complete a short registration and confirm contact information. During the online registration process, community members can choose to receive DOC alerts and notifications by voice, e-mail and/or text and can choose to receive notifications for specific facilities or for all facilities and to receive general news and information from the Department of Correction by selecting “DOC News and Information”. Online registrants can log in anytime to update contact information and facility preferences.
###